type-2 diabetes

In people with diabetes, damage to small blood vessels (microvascular complications) and nerves (neuropathy) can occur, increasing the risk of eye disease, kidney disease, amputation, sexual dysfunction, and other serious medical problems.

Hyperglycemia, often acting in concert with hypertension, can lead to small blood vessel damage. Microvascular complications include:

— Eye disease. Eye disease is 25 times more common in people with diabetes than in the general population. Diabetic retinopathy (a term for disorders of the retina associated with diabetes) is the leading cause of blindness in the United States for people between 20 and 74. In addition, people with diabetes are twice as likely to develop glaucoma and cataracts as those without diabetes.

— Kidney disease. About 20% to 30% of people with diabetes develop nephropathy (kidney damage), and diabetes is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease.

Hyperglycemia can also lead to nerve damage. Diabetes is the most common cause of peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy of the sensory nerves contributes to the development of foot ulcers, which can lead to amputation. Lower extremities tend to be more seriously affected than upper extremities, but neuropathy also can affect the hands and arms. Diabetes-related damage to nerves that supply internal body organs (autonomic neuropathy) also may occur. Autonomic neuropathy can lead to problems with regulation of blood pressure, heart rate, bladder emptying, and digestion. Sexual dysfunction, including erectile dysfunction in men and a number of female sexual problems, is another common long-term complication of diabetes.